Back in bloom: gardening tricks of the trade from Taunton area nurseries

Friday

Apr 21, 2017 at 4:32 PMApr 21, 2017 at 4:38 PM

Sara Cline The Enterprise @saraclinenews

With the tease of the warm weather last week people have been itching to get out and enjoy their gardens — the fresh spring air and vibrant colors radiating from the blooming flowers.

But per usual with New England weather, the temperature is temperamental, one day 80 degrees and sunny and the next in the 50s and cloudy.

For new gardeners this can be confusing. What plants should you buy when the weather fluctuates so much? What should you do with the plants you recently bought if it stays cold? And how do you even get started with gardening?

A couple of gardening experts, from local garden centers, shared some of their tips on creating a flourishing and blossoming garden.

“It’s all about the soil,” said Debi Hogan, who owns the Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth with her husband Warren Leach.

Hogan said before even buying plants it is important to know the area you are dealing with specifically by checking what kind of soil you have.

“Dig up a shovel full of your soil, put it in a jar and add water and watch what happens,” Hogan said. “If it settles within 24 hours then it is sandy soil.”

If the water is still a little murky, then it is loam, which is composed of sand and some clay. If it never really settles and is murky then it is clay which can be hard for planting.

Hogan said the type of soil determines which plants will work well and what to add to the soil to help plants thrive. She added that no matter what you should add compost.

Another important factor to look at before planting, Hogan said, is how much sun the area gets.

“Full sun plants need six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day,” Hogan said. “Keep in mind if there is a tree above the area (that hasn’t grown its leaves yet) that it will provide shade in that area later in the season.”

Hogan and her husband have owned the nursery for more than 30 years. The center has examples of creatively designed gardens and plants that range from small to trees. They offer workshops at their nursery for gardeners, including pruning workshops, garden design consultations, vegetable garden basics and spring flowers combinations.

But without a doubt one of their biggest draws is when the eight acres of daylilies and irises are in bloom, creating a sea of color.

Those flowers haven’t bloomed yet, but there are some plants beginning to blossom. Hogan specifically pointed out the delicate white flowers feathering out from the magnolia trees.

While the dainty flowers were beautiful she said they were lucky there was not a frost, because if there was and the baby magnolia trees were left uncovered their flowering buds would die.

Hogan said for people who have already bought flowers that need warm weather, they should not plant them outside yet but instead keep them inside, cover them during the cold nights if already planted or get plants that are suitable for the weather.

“Pansies are a great option right now because they are cold tolerant,” said Steve Vilasboas, one of the owners of the Garden Patch. “They can take the weather fluctuation.”

About 10 miles away from Tranquil Lake Nursery, the Garden Patch on Ingell Street in Taunton was filled with smaller plants in vibrant shades of pink, yellow, purple, orange and red.

“I always press people to get fertilizer,” Vilasboas said. “You’ve got to fertilize, you have to feed it to keep it looking good and healthy.”

Vilasboas said he has been working with flowers since he was about 12 years old and grew up in the area. He is a co-owner of the Garden Patch which has a location in Taunton and one in Raynham.

“Something that works great here are containers,” Vilasboas said. “Container gardening is easier to maintain. Also based on what flowers you have you can place it in the sun or in a shaded area.”

The Garden Patch offers container classes regularly where people can come in and put together a container of their own. They are guided on what plants and flowers work well together, beautiful color combinations and the different kinds of techniques for creating a garden in a container.

“It is something great for people to put right on their front step,” Vilasboas said.

The Garden Patch not only helps people with their containers but they also fill the 34 sidewalk pots in downtown Taunton to help beautify the downtown area and bring some color outside of the shops.

“We donate over 50 hanging baskets as well,” Vilasboas said. “We really want to give back to the community.”

“People are ready to buy flowers.”

“A lot of people just want to see some color. I think people love color. It makes them happy.”

Both Vilasboas and Hogan stressed the importance of maintaining a garden it by watering it and giving it nutrients.

“Weeding is one of my favorite things to do. I know people usually don’t like weeding but because of it I get to be in the garden and get to look closely at what is happening,” Hogan said. “I like seeing the different plants in each season.”

For more information on Tranquil Lake visit www.tranquil-lake.com. For more information on the Silver City Garden Patch visit their Facebook page @gardenpatchsilvercity.

Hogan shared one last must-have that she suggests people add to their garden.

“A seat,” Hogan said. “It is never a bad idea to add a seating area so you can get a good look at your garden and really enjoy it.”